Hi all! :o)  Kylie here…and once again, sooooo happy to bring another new GALLERY GIRLS feature to you!  This will be our last gallery girls post for 2011…and what a way to finish the year out!!  Today, I’m beyond thrilled to ‘introduce’ you to one of the shining stars in our inspiration gallery…Gracie (graciewollf)! :o)

I have a feeling that my ‘words’ simply won’t do justice in describing Gracie’s awesome talent for digi-scrapping…however, I’ll do my very best! ;o)  Not only is she a beautiful person inside and out, she is a true creative spirit and you can see that in each and every page.  Her photographs are AMAZING - technically brilliant and full of life, light & love…and this brilliance flows over into the rest of her page…from stunning corner to stunning corner.  Gracie has a definite flair for color <you can see that at an instant>, and her design-work results in truly unique and magical creations.  Her layouts are big and bold!  But at the same time, all those precious little details, that you so often find gracing Gracie’s pages (sorry about the pun! LOL!), never ever get overshadowed.  And, I just love Gracie’s versatility – from serious, heartfelt pages to pages full of funny adventures – from no journaling and a simple title to the perfect amount of storytelling – from soft & dreamy palettes to a rainbow of colors – from lots of negative space to cluster upon cluster!  If you’re like me you’ll get totally lost in her incredible work!  Gracie’s gallery is pure inspiration!

So let’s move on with getting to know a bit more about the gorgeous Gracie and checking out all the incredible new layouts she created especially for this post (be sure to keep scrolling!).  Although, I’m betting you have already had a peek – I don’t blame you, absolutely impossible not to…seriously outta-this-world AWESOME, aren’t they?!  I soooo wish I could have made every layout featured here full-size, but alas, it would have taken forever for the whole post to load and I didn’t want you to have to wait any longer than necessary to see all the fabulousness!!  Gracie will, however, be uploading all of these new layouts to her gallery…so you can see the larger images and more info about each there :o) YAY!

It was impossible to choose a favorite new page to share first, they’re ALL my faves!!…but I just had to ‘bookend’ with these sweet co-ordinating layouts.  This is big sister Aurora’s page…my oh my!  Beautiful…what more can I say, so I’ll just stop there and let you take it all in!

Now, on with the interview…

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

I always hate this question because I never know where to start! How about the beginning? I grew up on a tiny island in South East Alaska, Petersburg, to be exact. The town, at it’s most populated, boasted 3,600 people. You had to make your own fun- that’s why I think I am creative to this day. I remember mom giving us crayons, chalk, markers, and freezer paper and telling us to, “have at it”.

Today, I like to think of myself as a schizophrenic artist (as my husband calls it) – I have to have two or more projects going at once.  I am a photographer. I enjoy digital art, tangible art, and all things creative. I am a mom of two little girls that I hope share my creative whims someday.

Two more gems!  I’m a big fan of circles and these two pages are circle-tastic!  And just look at the cutsey cousins pic…adorable! 

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

I have been scrapbooking for quite a few years – it’s so hard with kids – they always want to help cut, paste, rivet… not the safest thing in the world. I switched to digital last year to keep things under control – I can leave my projects safely on my laptop and no one touches, moves, cuts, or destroys anything, which makes me happy!

Love, love, love these two layouts!  Gracie uses her namesake to perfection in “Molly & Daddy”.  And how awesome is the yellow, brown and dark blue combo on the other…and the whole page is layered to perfection! 

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

I like to think I am a multiple personality scrapper. I like simple clean lines but then I love the chaotic nature of clustering. I enjoy clean edges ran over by messy stitches. I love torn edges too. I really enjoy neutral with a mix of bright colors. I think my favorite kit to date is, “Gracie” because the pallet is so versatile and the elements are PERFECT!

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

I am an organized scrapper – I adore the Easy-as-pie templates so much that I when I first go to make a page, I like to create a template and plan everything out. I do know what pictures I’m going to use before I create it though.  I pick my papers out next, then frames, if I use them. I follow by edging, stitching, and elements.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

See, even Gracie herself has trouble picking just the one fave from her gallery, lol!

 Gracie says ~ To date, my favorite layouts are, “Expressive Molly” which I love because of the simple clean lines of it and the little details, like the tag hanger and scalloped edges. I also LOVE, “Flower Child” because of the continuity of the whole page – the picture coordinates, the papers, embellishments— everything just flows.

…and here is SP’s pick…

SP says ~ It would be tough to imagine a sweeter and more special layout than this one! Little Molly’s ‘first cry’ photo is out-of-this-world amazing – what a perfect capture! Then…the precious ‘sisterly love’ photo…MELT! Finally…the patient mommy picture – LOVE! And, while this page is obviously ALL about the photos and memories/moments…the actual design of the layout is incredible, too! From all of the layering and stitches, to the shadows…and just the simple fact that the page is BLUE…even for a baby girl – BRILLIANT and total PERFECTION :o) While it was difficult to choose a favorite…as they are all WOW pages (seriously…not a less-than-stellar page in the entire gallery)…this one spoke to me the most! BRAVO :o)

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

I wish I knew how to vary shadows. I love how things that are supposed to jump off the page, can look like they do (like leaves, or bows). If you simply add more distance and play with the sliders, it can add so much depth!

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

I find inspiration in just about anything – I find it in just about everything. I find it in the colors of what my kids are wearing (or what they put together), i find it in a neat fabric, I find it in a magazine, even in jewelry. I like to take all of these things and scatter them in the way the jewelry patterns may lay, or in the placement of a pocket on jeans.

I can’t get enough of graciewollf’s scrapbooking layouts, can you?!  A couple more treats for us to drool over…

TECH STUFF :o) Tell us about your camera and software!

I am a little lucky being a photographer, I have some neat stuff to play with. I have a Canon 7D and a Canon Rebel xt, along with a handful of lenses. I use photoshop cs3 for all of my editing and page creating needs.

FAST FIVE FACTS!

• Favorite COLOR: Pink. no, Blue. no, Yellow. Orange? But then Green is so pretty too…. can I pick all?
• Favorite FOOD: I think my favorite has to be Chocolate. yup. Chocolate. It goes with anything – Coffee, fruit, wine… yup anything!
• Favorite MOVIE: I think it’s Princess Bride.
• Favorite SONG: anything by Adele, Jake Owen, or Nickel Creek.
• Favorite MEMORY: I was about 21, and my twin sister, Marie, and I were actually home, in Petersburg, AK, together, with our boyfriends. We decided to go hiking to the garnet mine and get some garnets. It was a long hike and on the way down an embankment, Marie’s boyfriend tumbled a bit, grabbed a tree root on the way down and ripped the seat out of his pants. I still giggle to this day thinking about how red that poor guy turned—did I mention, he was my ex-boyfriend? hahahaha. We did get a jelly-jar full of garnets. It was a great day!

…and now it’s Miss Molly’s turn!  Again, my oh my… PRECIOUS - in every way possible!!  Both Aurora and her little sis are the perfect models for mommy!  My heart is melting at the very sight!

—————————————

Gracie, THANK YOU SO MUCH for having fun with us…for sharing a little of your artistic world, and of course, for allowing us to admire all those amazing pages, photos and stories, here at the Shabby Shoppe blog! :o)  It has been a complete pleasure and total joy to work with you!  I actually feel kind of sad to finish up this post…I want to see more, and more gorgeous layouts!! LOL!  But one thing is for certain, I am leaving this post excited and completely INSPIRED!  Best of all – I KNOW I am not the only one!

We’ll be back in twenty-twelve with more Gallery Girl instalments…so stay tuned and keep posting in the gallery! (because ya never know, the next gallery girl might be YOU!!)

THANKS for joining me today – and I’ll see you back here…same time, same place…to announce the winner of template challenge 18 <oooh, exciting!>, to share the next template challenge with you and a little something extra – YAY!!  See you then! :o) 

KylieGallery Girls, Inspiration, Uncategorized 23 Comments

Hello everyone, it’s Jenelle here with a new product spotlight for you all.  I believe the weather is really starting to cool down in the northern hemisphere and winter is only days away for some of you (mind you, Kylie and I are sweltering in the heat Down Under here!).

This week, I’ve selected a gorgeous kit for us all to admire and one that I think you could use whether you’re approaching the chilly season in the north or the summer sun here in the south.

Drum roll please…  LOL!! 

It’s the fabulous Winter Chic – XL kit and it is on SALE in the Shabby Shoppe for $5.50 (for a limited time only).

 Yes, it is certainly well deserving of its XL title.  Winter Chic has just enough chill with its cool colours to be paired with your favourite winter photos, but enough warmth to carry you through the warmer months.  It‘s loaded with gorgeous stitched felt elements – reminiscent of cozy blankets and sweaters during those chilly days and nights of winter.  With fun flowers, an envelope with a letter in it and so much more in between, this kit will keep you busy scrapping for a long time!  Here’s a layout I enjoyed making about a friend’s new baby, using the gorgeous papers and elements from this versatile kit.

Our Shabby Artists also had a lovely time scrapping with this extra-large kit ~ what a talented bunch they are ~ check out their gorgeous layouts below.

For more details on any of the above layouts, please check the Shabby Artist Gallery.

 As you can see, Winter Chic is a really versatile kit – certainly a staple for any keen digi-scrapper!  Also, be sure to check out our Blossom Piece-a-Cake Album in the Shoppe which showcases the Winter Chic Kit beautifully.  And we also have the gorgeous Winter Chic Blogwear - it is sure to spruce up any blog on the net!

Thanks for joining us today – Kylie will be back tomorrow with a new Gallery Girls feature.  I’m so excited to see who it will be!  In the meantime, happy scrapping everyone.

JenelleProduct Spotlight, Uncategorized 3 Comments

Hello everyone, it’s Casharina here with the Layout of the Week!  I’m excited to be doing this post, but boy this is one of the most nerve-racking posts there is.  There are so many wonderful pages of inspiration in the gallery, it’s SOOO hard to choose just one, but as you know that’s what we have to do!  So without further ado, I bring you Amber’s layout titled “EEEK!”

I love this layout because it features a wonderfully captured photo…which tells a great story.  I love it when I catch those special photos, that can really bring the memory back to life, and you can see that here in her layout as Grandpa is helping Robby learn to ride his bike.  Robby’s face proves how hard he was working (concentrating) to succeed at riding his bike without training wheels.  I also LOVE the way she has tied in bits of flowers and bows through the use of small clusters, and I love clusters!!

And to complete the “Learning to Ride” story…this is actually part of a two-page spread – so, have to share the whole masterpiece!

Congratulations Amber for sharing your beautiful layout with us!  We’ve sent you an email with a $10 gift card so you can enjoy some Shabby Shoppe’ing fun! (and be sure to check your spam/junk mail folders if you don’t see it in your inbox.)

Join the very lovely Jenelle tomorrow to find out about our newest Product Spotlight!

CasharinaLayout of the Week, Uncategorized 4 Comments

Hey all! :o)  Kylie here! …and, it’s FREE DESKTOP time!  I had a lot of fun putting together this DECEMBER desktop for everyone…it has a wintery festive ‘feel’…without going overboard!  Well, that was my intention…did I succeed?? LOL!  So, I hope you like it…and enjoy having it as your desktop!  You can find the download links below…and here is a little preview!

 And as our special little gift to you this holiday season we are offering a BONUS Advent-style desktop in your download!  How CUTE and whimsical is this one?!  It gets me all excited just looking at it…as Christmas rolls around I unavoidably revert to my six year-old self! ;o)  So the choice is yours as to which one you want to enjoy all month…or just alternate between the two! ;o)

CLICK HERE to download the 1024 x 768 versions

CLICK HERE to download the 1280 x 800 versions

If you are interested in our free desktops, but have no idea how to insert your own photos – please visit our TUTORIALS page and refer to the USING THE PIECE-A-CAKE .PNG FILES TO CREATE AN ALBUM titles :o)  We offer this tutorial in both screen shot and video format, for both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.  And, while the tutorial is not specifically for the desktops – the concepts are very much the same…and should help out a lot!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a Happy Scrappy weekend and we’ll see you back here on Monday with another LOTW!  Casharina has been on the lookout all week! :o)

and, P.S. Just a quick reminder that the Easy-As-Pie Template Challenge 18 deadline is SUNDAY night (12 midnight EST), for all those still wishing to join in the FUN and have the chance to win a $25 gift card to the Shabby Shoppe!  Don’t forget to add your comment/link to the original blog post after you upload your layout too! :o)

KylieFree Desktops, Uncategorized 18 Comments

Hi everyone!!  Kylie here with this month’s exciting new project SCRAP templates (two separate templates to create a ‘spread’ in your project SCRAP 2011 album…which should be well on its way to completion)!! YAY!

But first, on behalf of Shabby Princess and the team, I just want to wish all our beautiful friends in the United States a very Happy Thanksgiving!  We truly hope you have a wonderful and blessed day with family and friends (and lots of YUMMY FOOD and FUN!) :o)

Now, onto the templates. If you are celebrating in November (it’s been a huge month for me so far!) be sure to capture all those special memories and add them to your NEW project SCRAP templates  And don’t forget all those adorable everyday moments as well!  ;o) You’ll find there are loads of photo options between the two pages…you could even make use of all those cute little paper squares.  And all you really need to do is take a couple of photos each week and you will happily fill the template full of treasured moments! :o)

You can click on the image below…or, CLICK HERE to download the NOVEMBER templates!  I hope you LOVE them as much as I do :o)

Project SCRAP ~ bundle ONE is now available for purchase at the Shabby Shoppe…CLICKING HERE will take you straight there!

PLEASE NOTE: if you participated in project SCRAP 2011 right here at the Shabby Shoppe’s BLOG…you do not need to purchase this product. Be sure to check your hard drive before purchasing :o)

New to project SCRAP? …well then, if you are not familiar with our little scrap project (if you ARE familiar with it, skip this paragraph, as always, lol)… THIS POST is a great place to learn more!  Also, if you click on the PROJECT SCRAP 2011 category (on the right side of the blog)…you can ALWAYS easily find ALL posts related to the subject!  It’s your go-to place if you want to keep up with everything!  But, as a quick little reminder… here is the project in a nutshell:::

Be sure to post your completed November pages (and any of the other months, if you haven’t already done so) in the project scrap GALLERY!  You know we LOVE to see how you work with our project SCRAP templates and all those gorgeous Shabby Shoppe products! :o)  December is going to be extra-busy here at Blog and SP and I will most likely ‘join forces’ and present the November check-in and the December templates all at the same time…so be on the look out for that!  Until then, have fun scrapping the new templates (and photographing, of course)!

I’ll see you back here either tomorrow or Saturday with December’s FREE DESKTOP :o)

KylieFree (not desktops), Uncategorized, project Scrap 2011 10 Comments